On the flipside, shares of Morgan Stanley rose, trading 2.8 percent stronger as of 1.54pm in NY, as the bank posted stronger-than-expected earnings bolstered by bond trading revenue.

"Crude broke $52 on WTI, that is the strongest correlation we have right now away from the case-by-case earnings we have", said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in NY. That continued what's mostly been a strong first quarter for banks and other financial companies. The Dow Jones industrial average also lagged the Nasdaq considerably for a second straight day, falling 0.1%. The FTSE 100 slid 0.4 percent after a 2.5-percent plunge on Tuesday.

U.S. Treasury prices have surrendered part of yesterday's gain, with the benchmark 10-year yield trading 3 bps higher at 2.20%. The 10-year yield fell as low as 2.165 percent on Tuesday; it has tumbled from a high of 2.63 percent reached on March 14.

Schutte said that will ultimately help the stock market more than any of President Donald Trump's proposed pro-growth policies would. A run of disappointing US economic data and doubts the Trump administration will progress with tax cuts have quelled expectations of faster inflation. Its stock jumped $1.77 percent, to 2 percent, to $91.91.

OVERSEAS: British stocks continued to fall.

The greenback was 0.54 percent higher against the yen and up 0.17 percent against the euro. Copper added 1 cent to $2.53 a pound.

The day's gains were broad, with seven of the S&P 500's 11 primary sectors higher on the day.

Technology and consulting company IBM slumped after it reported $18.16 billion in revenue in the first quarter, and according to FactSet, that was more than $200 million below analysts' estimates.

"Crude broke US$52 on WTI, that is the strongest correlation we have right now away from the case-by-case earnings we have", said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in NY.

"We're off to a good start with earnings, with three-quarters of companies beating expectations, though it's a small data set so far", said Kaufman. "The problem with our impression of the earnings season is we just talk about the bad news".

Financials traded higher earlier in the session after Morgan Stanley posted a strong first-quarter as its fixed-income trading revenue doubled year over year.

Overall profits of S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 10.8% in the quarter - the best since 2011.

Yahoo (YHOO), which is in the process of selling its core internet business to Verizon (VZ), also reported first quarter results that exceeded analyst estimates. Shares moved up 2.8%, but the stock remains well below the 50-day line.

American Express, eBay, Qualcomm and CSX are among the companies scheduled to report after the bell Wednesday.

Advertisment Equities in Toronto found themselves traveling in a negative direction as Wednesday's session ended, as bruises sustained by resources stocks countered advances by health and tech issues.

In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline fell 5 cents, or 3 percent, to $1.66 a gallon.

The film has Salman playing a specially abled character in the war film, which has been shot in Ladakh and Manali. The Twitter handle of the film shared the poster with the fans writing, "Here's the first poster of Tubelight!".

Turkey's main opposition party has slammed the country's electoral board, accusing it of bias and favoring the ruling party. Under Turkey's 2010 electoral law, all ballots require an official stamp as a measure aimed at preventing vote stuffing.

Google experimented with generating income without showing display and banner ads on publisher sites in the United States. Chrome has almost 47.5% of the browser market across all platforms, according to online analytics provider StatCounter.

In early March, Williams indicated a knee injury was the cause of her pulling out of tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. Belgium's Kim Clijsters came out of retirement at the age of 26 after having a child and won three Grand Slam titles.

The Bruins increased their lead at 16:01 on a power play when Bergeron deflected a David Pastrnak shot past Anderson's glove. I knew if I stuck with it I'd get a chance eventually and the guys around me made good plays to get me the puck in tight.

Members of Arizona congressional delegation did not return requests for comment on the comments Tuesday. Last year, Kelly said in an interview with Military Times that he supports medical marijuana use.

Aaron Hernandez's lawyer says he intends to conduct his own investigation into the National Football League star's hanging death. Hernandez also attempted to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items".

She said that since Britons voted to leave the European Union in June, the country had come together, but politicians had not. The Conservative leader said the vote would give "certainty and stability" to the country for the Brexit process.

White House press secretary described the attention as a sign that Trump believes there are problems with the deal. The evidence is clear: "Iran's provocative actions threaten the United States, the region and the world".

Highland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras by 0.3% in the third quarter. The Higher end of the revenue forecast is $2.53 Billion, while the Lower end of the forecast is $2.03 Billion.

Not only for strengthening the party but we should also work for positive change in the country", the BJP chief said. The Prime Minister stressed that "there should be no conflict within the Muslim community over the issue.